Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots men's tennis team finished their weekend off with a 5-2 win over the Montana State Bobcats. The win improves the Pilots' record to 5-2 on the season.
Portland took the doubles point in dominant fashion. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams beat their opponents 6-2 to give the Pilots the first point. Sema Pankin and Nikolas Tvedt are now 6-1 in the No. 2 doubles slot this season.
The Pilots swept the first three singles matches as well, with Pankin securing his fourth win in the No. 1 singles spot and Issa Yoshida his second in the No. 3 slot. But it was Eleftherios Neos who came through with the clinching point in the No. 2 match. After dropping the second set to Nejc Sitar, Neos bounced back to take a commanding 4-1 lead in final set. A powerful return from Neos proved too much for Sitar on the final point, and the Pilots officially earned the victory.
Despite the win, Portland head coach Aaron Gross felt that there was room for improvement for the Pilots.
"I don't think we had our best stuff today," Gross said. "I would've liked to of played at a higher level. We are coming off a seven day stretch of three very different matches. Today would be the one that you would expect a bit of a letdown and unfortunately, we fell into the trap. We still got the victory. But we want to feel like we are progressing constantly. It doesn't have to be as a win or a loss necessarily. But just a certain energy and focus that could've been a bit higher today."
Next up, the Pilots will play their final non-conference match against the Montana Grizzlies at the Louisiana Pacific Tennis Center in Portland, Ore. before opening conference play. That match will take place on Saturday, March 20. Live stats and video will be available at PortlandPilots.com.
Singles
- Sema Pankin (UP) def. Joaquin Espinoza (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
- Eleftherios Neos (UP) def. Nejc Sitar (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
- Issa Yoshida (UP) def. Daan Van Dijk (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
- Brad Buckland (MSU) def. Nicklas Oberg (UP) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (11)
- Nikolas Tvedt (UP) def. Chase Stoner (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
- Jakob Mosvold (MSU) def. Leo Hibi (UP) 6-7 (3), 6-4, 10-6
Doubles
- Yoshida/Neos (UP) def. Mosvold/Sitar (MSU) 6-2
- Pankin/Tvedt (UP) def. Buckland/Espinosa (MSU) 6-2
- Oberg/Hibi (UP) vs. Monteiro/Van Dijk (MSU) DNF
Order of Finish: (Singles: 3,1,2,5,4,6; Doubles: 2,1,3)
